Saturday, February 20, 2010

A Changed Mindset!

I stared at the array of letters and numbers in front of me.
Thinking of what to type next into the input box in order to generate the worst output in the history of Software Testing, I approached the far right of the keyboard and punched a 9. This was the first of the 10 digit number that I had intended on entering into the system- good enough to crash the program, embarass the developer, iron out the kinks and ultimately make a successful marketable product which could brin millions in revenue to the Company.

Yes, I am a software tester. After a rigourous 4 year programme popularly known as Engineering- I have finally secured a job with a dream company. I hate to boast but I am pretty good at my job.

I never faced any problem as far as my job was concerned.

But that day was different.

Quite shockingly my boss came and asked me a question which could have easily won me a million bucks, provided my boss was Mr. Bachchan.

What is Query Processing in a parellel Database, and please explain 2 methods to optimize it.

Oops!!!

Sure, I knew what subject this belonged to -Database Management System. But I had believed that the mugging up had ended there.

Now where did this question come from?

As I tried hiding my face- partly in disbelief that such a question could be asked , and partly in shame that I didnt know the answer- I heard a voice asking some person called Sid to Wake Up.
Thats when I shut my alarm and got up.

The calendar read 7th December- Eureka - The day of my Database management System Theory paper.

The rest was usual, a horrible nightmare gave way to a mediocre paper.
This is the average day in the life of an Engineer (especially when he is giving exams, or if he goes  to SPIT on a monday).

That day I thought, 'Was it a waste to rote learn the entire syllabus and then just vomit it out in the paper.?'

It struck me that this knowledge was not here to stay, since I had already forgotten most of the concept on the way back home.

Something needed to be done. Someting radical.

My prayers were soon answered . '3 Idiots' had been released.
Many would call it a biopic on engineers. I would totally agree with them.

Finally, there was someone who actually went all out to tell the people about the pressures of a student (specifically engineers). It also showed that rote learning never got the person anywhere, because he would ultimately get raped (see Balatkar).
The best part, the education fraternity realized the need for a change in the system.

Truly, the mindset had Changed!

After the exams ended, we were off to North India for our Industrial Visit. The trip was full of singing songs and saying dialogues from the iconic flick. We also killed boredom with an impression of the famous American accented speech which made every Indian laugh.

When we got back, college had begun. We all geared up to spend another semester wasting time trying to swallow the Techmax and various class notes at appropriate times in an attempt to SOS(save our scores).

But as we saw, "Padhai karne ka isshtyle change ho gaya tha".
Things seemed a bit more relaxed. With college professors encouraging us to spend some of our brains on research and development. Some subject definitions were modified to suit the college goal of making 'REAL' engineers.

I truly believe that this is the right way to go. Cheers to the new system. And I hope that this system is implemented in all colleges in all streams.

Lets see this as a plan to make a better India. A smart India. A prosperous India

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